similarity

noun

sim·​i·​lar·​i·​ty ˌsi-mə-ˈler-ə-tē 

-ˈla-rə-

plural similarities

1

: the quality or state of being similar : resemblance

2

: a comparable aspect : correspondence

Synonyms

• alikeness
• community
• comparability
• correspondence
• likeness
• parallelism
• resemblance
• similitude

Choose the Right Synonym for similarity

likeness, similarity, resemblance, similitude, analogy mean agreement or correspondence in details.

likeness implies a closer correspondence than similarity which often implies that things are merely somewhat alike.

a remarkable likeness to his late father

some similarity between the two cases

resemblance implies similarity chiefly in appearance or external qualities.

statements that bear little resemblance to the truth

similitude applies chiefly to correspondence between abstractions.

two schools of social thought showing points of similitude

analogy implies likeness or parallelism in relations rather than in appearance or qualities.

pointed out analogies to past wars

Examples of similarity in a Sentence

I doubt that these words are related beyond a similarity in sound.

The books share a similarity of ideas.

I see a lot of similarities in them.

Looking at these fossils, I see some similarity to modern-day birds.

I see very little similarity between your situation and his.

Recent Examples on the Web

The demographic similarities are meaningful for the outlook for a declining savings rate, lower investment, and more structural deflationary pressure. —Drew Bernstein, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024

Christine Brown and David Woolley are smitten, but her family can't help but notice a few similarities between him and her ex-husband Kody Brown. —Esther Kang, People.com, 21 Oct. 2024

Much has been made of the similarities between the performance of the Dodgers in this year’s National League Championship Series and in the 1965 World Series. —Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2024

Though this hobbled Babb’s career, she was stung less by the similarities in Steinbeck’s plot than by the fact that her (stylistically very different) novel received no attention. —Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 18 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin similāritāt-, similāritās, from Medieval Latin similāris similar + Latin -itāt-, -itās -ity

First Known Use

1615, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing similarity

• self-similarity
• there the similarity ends

Kids Definition

similarity

noun

sim·​i·​lar·​i·​ty ˌsim-ə-ˈlar-ət-ē 

plural similarities

1

: the quality or state of being similar : resemblance

2

: a point in which things are similar : correspondence